Chandigarh- Factory Workers Union Chandigarh and Naujwan Bharat Sabha celebrated International Working Women's Day (8 March) in Hallomajra. On this occasion, women and youth of the area took out a march and made people aware. On the occasion of the day, the speakers said that today International Working Women's Day is limited to giving and taking gifts, parties, shopping for women in shopping malls and discounts, but today it is not told that this day is a symbol of the struggles of women laborers.
It is because of these struggles of working women that women got the right to vote for the first time in the world. The glorious history of International Working Women's Day, 8 March, a symbol of women's bravery and struggles, was discussed. Women fought for their rights themselves and raised their voice against all kinds of exploitation, oppression and injustice in the society.
Women have had equal participation in all the social changes that have taken place till date. We need to take inspiration from those brave working women and struggle even today because in a backward country like India when we use the word 'woman' today, in our society when we use the word 'woman', we inevitably associate words like family, responsibility, respect, marriage, customs, producing heirs, etc.
In our society women are considered only a piece of flesh and blood. In our society women do not even have the status of being equal human beings to men. The condition of women in our society is going from bad to worse. Crimes against women are increasing day by day. Rape, dowry death and harassment are common news. If we talk about working women, the situation is even worse.
They have a double burden of work. Giving birth to a child, raising it, taking care of the family; after all this they have to go out to work in difficult conditions. They are used as cheap labour in factories.
There are no safety measures in factories. There is no provision of equal pay as men, holiday pay, leave during pregnancy, etc. No labour laws apply to women working on piece rates in homes and neither are their working hours fixed. In today's times, women need to break the traditional shackles and unite for their rights.
They will have to march ahead shoulder to shoulder with their male colleagues in the class struggle going on in society and try to build socialism by taking this struggle to a decisive conclusion.